Your swings can hit multiple objects per swing. Utilize this when mining ore or hitting trees for logs to maximize your efficiency.
Rune essence springs have floating stones above them use a ranged weapon to knock them down then use either your pick axe or your rocksplosion spell to mine heaps of essence at once.
If playing in a co-op world have your friend drop any new items for you to pick up - you unlock crafting recipes when you find new items / materials
